


Touch Starved

by PaigePenn



Category: Original Work, humans are weird - Fandom
Genre: Aliens, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-11-02 08:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20687477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaigePenn/pseuds/PaigePenn
Summary: Humans require physical contact for their health. Michel, stationed on a ship with primarily touch-neutral and touch-averse aliens, forgot this.You can also find this story ondeviantArtandtumblr.





	Touch Starved

For lack of a better word, Crew Michel was wilting. Medic X’nthmm fretfully looked through eir medical records again. Tests showed that the human was physically healthy, but Michel had become more and more withdrawn over the past weeks, and X’nthmm was concerned for him. Desperately, ey called the Interspecies Behavioral Information Center and asked to speak with a human representative.

A few moments later, a human was on the viewscreen in front of X’nthmm. “Hello,” they said. “My name is Raechel, how may I help you?”

“I am concerned about the health of our human crew member,” X’nthmm answered. “I cannot find anything medically wrong with him, but he is clearly unwell.”

The human on the screen looked concerned, and X’nthmm wondered briefly if they had somehow managed to packbond with Michel without even seeing him. Was that a thing, with human packbonding? X’nthmm wasn’t sure.

“Could you describe his symptoms to me?”

“Of course,” X’nthmm said. Ey had eir notes on Michel’s condition ready, though ey barely had to glance at them to know what ey wanted to say. “Crew Michel’s behavior has changed drastically in the last few weeks. He has become withdrawn, and it seems that every task requires more effort from him than previously. He does not ‘smile’ or ‘laugh’ as often. He decontaminates overly frequently, and spends more time doing so than necessary. Often, he will wrap his arms around his torso in what looks to be a protective stance, even when there is no threat to be detected. He also has begun requesting a heated pad at night, despite his sleeping quarters being the appropriate temperature. I do not know if this is a symptom, and I have provided the pad, but it is unusual.” X’nthmm ruffled eir leaves in distress. “If he were a fasiolus, I would say that Michel is wilting. However, I have already optimized his nutrient intake and ensured that he is properly hydrated and receiving the ideal amount, duration, and wavelength of light for humans, to no avail.”

Representative Raechel was quiet for some time, processing X’nthmm’s query. There was the clack of keys on a keyboard as they apparently looked something up. “What is the makeup of your crew?” they asked at last. “Species-wise.”

X’nthmm wondered how this was relevant, but ey answered nonetheless, “Primarily fasioli and zenicks. We also have three calyphues, two kalinki, and a squad of poms. Michel is our only human.”

Raechel nodded, typing something else into their console. After they had read the results, they said, “I think I see the problem. Your crew is primarily composed of beings who are touch-neutral to touch-averse. However, humans _require _frequent physical contact. Your Michel is probably touch starved.”

“Touch starved,” X’nthmm repeated. Ey had never heard such a term before. “How serious is it?”

Raechel made a concerned face. “Well, human infants will literally die if they’re not held enough,” they said. X’nthmm let out a horrified exclamation. “In adults, it’s a little less serious, but I would definitely recommend giving him a hug pronto.”

X’nthmm made a sound of acknowledgement and bobbed eir head in an imitation of the human gesture of agreement. “How does one administer a ‘hug’?”

“Are you touch-averse?” Raechel questioned.

“No, I am neutral to physical contact,” X’nthmm replied. “One must be to work in my position.”

“Good, that’ll help. Note that hugs are most effective when given by someone with whom the human has packbonded, but so long as you are on neutral to good terms, it should still be beneficial.” Raechel described then the procedure for giving a hug. It involved nearly full body contact, wrapping one’s limbs around the patient, and applying pressure. If Raechel did not seem so sincere, X’nthmm would have thought it a constricting action intended to crush an opponent, and ey questioned how much pressure ey ought to apply. “One moment…” Raechel said, typing again. “Is your personal strength rating typical for one of your species?”

“Yes, I am about average,” X’nthmm answered.

“It may vary for his comfort level, but unless he is injured, you shouldn’t be able to harm him by squeezing too hard. Given the level of touch starvation you described, I would recommend holding him as tightly as you comfortably can.”

X’nthmm took a moment to process this. Then ey bobbed eir head again. “Thank you. What other treatments can you recommend?”

“In general, lots of physical contact from beings he’s bonded with,” Raechel answered. “Cuddles, hugs, even just shoulder touches and high-fives may help somewhat.” They paused. “If I may save your contact information, I will put together an informational packet and send it to you.”

“That would be most useful,” X’nthmm answered, relieved. “Thank you.”

The human on the other side of the screen bared their teeth at em in the human gesture of pleasure. “You’re welcome. I should have that ready within a sol. Ah…” Their fingers flew over their keyboard again. “By [time] or so spacetime.”

“Again, thank you.”

“Of course.”

X’nthmm ended the call, and summoned Michel to the med bay.

He did not take long to arrive, but when he did, he still looked distinctly wilted. 

“Crew Michel,” X’nthmm greeted.

Michel bared his teeth in greeting, but somehow the action looked exhausting, instead of the vibrant ‘grins’ Michel used to give. “Medic Zanthum.”

“I have been doing further research on your condition,” X’nthmm said, ignoring the mispronunciation as always. Ey knew it was difficult for humans to say names without vowels.

“Oh?”

“Yes. I have spoken to another human, who had an insight I would not have thought of. They suggested that you may be suffering from ‘Touch Starvation’.”

Michel stared at em. Then, slowly, he said, “That… actually, yeah, that sounds likely.”

“They recommended I administer a ‘hug.’”

Michel gazed at X’nthmm with an almost hungry light in his eyes. “I would love a hug.”

X’nthmm approached him, and Michel crouched so that his head was nearly on a level with eirs, holding out his arms.

With some hesitance, X’nthmm came even closer so that there was scarcely a Standardized Unit between them. Michel put his hands on X’nthmm’s main stem then, pulling em even closer and pressing em against his chest. X’nthmm wrapped eir tendrils awkwardly around Michel’s torso, grateful that he was an ally, as ey were quite aware that ey could never escape his grip on eir own power now that he had a firm hold on em.

Instead of focusing on that thought, X’nthmm asked, “Is this proper hug technique?”

“Yeah.” Michel turned his face against X’nthmm’s stalk, and ey had a brief, irrational fear that he was going to bite em. Instead, he said softly, “This is perfect. Thank you.”

“Ought I to squeeze you harder?”

“Mm,” Michel answered. After a pause, during which X’nthmm tried to remember if that was an affirmative or negative sound, he added, “Please.”

X’nthmm tightened the grip of eir tendrils around him. Fasioli were not designed for constriction, so ey were not able to tighten them very much, but ey hoped that this small amount would help.

After several moments had passed, X’nthmm realized that ey had not inquired as to the standard length of a ‘hug,’ nor whether ey, as the initiator, were expected to end it. However, ey were sure that Michel knew, and decided to let him lead.

“IBIC Representative Raechel is going to send me in informational packet with other techniques to combat your touch starvation,” ey informed him.

“Awesome,” Michel said. X’nthmm was delighted to note that his voice was less weary than it had been for quite some time. The treatment was already working. X’nthmm found eirself feeling hopeful that Michel would make a full recovery.

Several more moments passed in silence before Michel loosened his grip on X’nthmm’s stem. Ey in return retracted eir tendrils from around him, and Michel let go entirely so that X’nthmm could move away.

“That was great,” he said, looking more relaxed than X’nthmm had seen him for weeks. “Thank you, that really helped.”

“I am glad,” X’nthmm said. “The representative recommended you receive frequent physical contact from beings with whom you have formed a packbond. Could you provide me with a list of such individuals on board so that I can inform them of this need?”

Michel’s face changed color, becoming pinker on the cheeks. “I… I mean, I wouldn’t want to impose,” he stammered, rising to his full height again. 

“I am certain that those of them who are not touch averse will not object if it is for your health,” X’nthmm countered.

Michel’s face became an even darker pink. “Well… alright,” he said. “I’ll make you a list.”

“Thank you.” X’nthmm approached again and patted Michel’s knee, pleased to see his teeth flash in response. “You may return to your station now.”

“Thanks, Zanthum.”

~~~

Michel returned to the deck, feeling better than he had in… well, a long time. “Touch starved,” he murmured to himself.

As he sat down at his desk again, the alien stationed next to him, a kalinx named Fritz, looked up. “Crewmate Michel,” ve greeted, then observed, “You are looking better. Has Medic X’nthmm discovered the source of your ailment?”

Michel nodded. “Yeah. Turns out I’m touch starved.”

Fritz gazed at him for a few moments. “Is this similar to the atrophy which occurs due to lack of proper nutrients?”

“Uh… yes and no.” Michel shrugged a bit. “I’m suffering from an extended lack of physical contact with other beings. Doc Zanthum gave me a hug, and that helped a bit.”

“You require physical contact?” Fritz repeated, and Michel nodded.

“Yeah, it’s… it’s a human thing,” he said. “Most humans, anyway. There are some people who don’t like being touched at all, I guess they probably don’t get touch starved.” Though now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure. Michel wondered what they did if they _did_ get touch starved, and decided to try and look it up later. “I’d honestly forgotten it was a thing.”

The alien considered this. “Does the kind of physical contact matter?” ve asked at last.

“Uh, yeah. I mean, if someone punched me, I _really_ doubt that would help.” Michel chuckled a bit. “And I wouldn’t react very well to a stranger hugging me, or someone I disliked doing it. Might actually be counterproductive. But I guess beyond it being from someone I like, and not a violent form of touch, it doesn’t matter a lot.” He thought about it again. “Well… I mean, meaning no offense to the doc, and I do like em well enough, but a plant hug just isn’t the same. So I guess ideally it’d be from someone mammalian.”

“Why?”

“Soft, warm,” Michel said, shrugging. “The fur probably helps too, as long as it’s not rough.”

Fritz blinked slowly at him. “Have you packbonded with me sufficiently for contact between myself and you to be beneficial?” ve asked, and Michel suddenly realized that ver questions had not been solely from curiosity.

He could feel himself blushing. “Um. Yes. Yeah, definitely.”

Fritz turned back to ver work tablet, and Michel’s heart sank. The space cat had just been seeking knowledge after all. Fritz tapped a few icons on ver tablet, then detached it from its dock and gripped it in ver forehand. Michel watched, feeling a bit confused, as ve got down from ver chair and approached his. Fritz stood directly in front of him for a moment before putting an empty forehand on Michel’s knee. Michel held very still.

Then Fritz leapt up onto Michel’s lap. Ve was lighter than he had expected, but there was a delightful solidness to vem. Ve settled down, making verself comfortable, before looking up at him again. “Is this agreeable?”

“Yes,” Michel said immediately. “This is very agreeable.” And it was. Fritz was very warm, and having vem on his lap was rather similar to having an earth cat curled up on him, except without the allergic reaction. Michel felt incredibly honored.

Fritz positioned ver tablet so that ve could continue working, and with a smile, Michel returned to his own work as well.

~~~

Although most of the crew, besides those who were touch-averse, was quite willing to engage in physical contact with Michel to combat his touch starvation, it was more effective for some than others. Calyphues, as a rule, do not like to be touched, so they were exempt. Meanwhile, zenicks are generally indifferent to physical contact, and upon learning of Michel’s condition, the zenick portion of the crew began to bump against his legs whenever they passed him in the halls, until he complained that so many collisions against hard exoskeletons, gentle and well-intentioned as each bump may have been, was starting to hurt. Most of the fasioli were willing to wrap their tendrils around Michel in an attempt at a hug, as long as he did not hug back, and though Michel seemed to enjoy it, the positive effects of these hugs did not last long once the hug ended. One might think that Joviva, the other kalinx, would be able to provide good contact, but it turned out that Michel had not spent enough time around vem to form a proper packbond. He _had_ bonded with the pom squad and found the feel of their fur delightful, but their small size and general aversion to staying still made him nervous to hold more than one or two, for fear or injuring a pom, and of course they refused to be separated.

Fritz, meanwhile, was soft, warmblooded, and furred. Michel had packbonded with vem, and ve were touch neutral, as well as both larger and calmer than the poms. This together made vem the most qualified crew member to treat Michel’s condition, so for Michel’s health, Fritz took it upon verself to make a point of touching Michel regularly. The human responded particularly favorably to having Fritz on top of him, so whenever they worked together, Fritz moved from ver chair onto Michel’s lap. Although ve had to hold ver tablet in ver forepaw instead of keeping it docked, ve soon discovered that Michel’s lap, which was warm and soft, and moved ever so slightly to the beat of his vital fluids flowing, was more comfortable than ver chair.

Ve also discovered that a human’s shoulder made for an excellent vantage point, even if it was a somewhat unstable perch. Even sitting, Michel was tall, but when he stood, he towered over everyone else on the ship. And he not only was willing to let Fritz ride on his shoulder, but _encouraged _it.

Fritz could see why some beings were touch-positive. Ve could almost understand how humans could require touch in order to live.

One day, Michel and Fritz sat together as had become their habit. Neither were working at this moment, simply resting and enjoying one another’s company.

“Fritz,” Michel said softly, slowly. Fritz looked up at him. “May I… may I run my fingers through your fur, please?”

Fritz blinked in consideration. “Will that help with your touch starvation?” ve asked curiously.

Michel’s face became the shade of pink which signaled faint embarrassment in humans. “I dunno about that, I just thought it’d feel nice.”

Fritz considered it a moment longer. “You may,” ve decided.

Michel lay his hand on Fritz’s back. If ve had not known that he had strongly packbonded with vem, Fritz might have been made more nervous at the touch, because Michel was large and strong enough that he could pin Fritz against his leg with one hand. Instead of doing that, however, he slid his hand down the length of Fritz’s back, smoothing down the fur. His hand stopped just before Fritz’s tail, and Michel lifted it away. Fritz thought that would be the end of it, but Michel put his hand on ver back again, just below the place where ver neck connected, and stroked vem again. On the third pass, Michel asked, “Is this agreeable?”

Fritz settled on Michel’s lap a bit more comfortably, laying ver head on ver crossed forearms. “This is agreeable,” ve answered.

For several minutes, they were silent, Michel gently stroking Fritz’s fur. It was, to Fritz’s surprise, a soothing sensation, and ve found verself nearly falling asleep. Although ve trusted Michel, ve didn’t want to fully drop ver defences while lying in a human’s lap, and to keep verself alert, Fritz questioned, “Is there a name for this activity?”

Michel’s hand paused in its motion for a moment, then continued. “Not… not _exactly_,” he said. Fritz waited for further explanation. “I mean, it sort of does, we call it ‘petting,’ but only if the one being pet is a non-sapient companion creature. When we do it with a sapient being, we usually just describe the action, cause… cause _petting_ a person sounds… um, hang on, what’s the more generic form of ‘dehumanizing’?”

“I do not know,” Fritz answered. “What is ‘dehumanizing’?”

“Treating a person like a non-sapient animal or object instead of a human being.” Michel’s hand stopped, resting lightly on Fritz’s back. “It’s a negative term.”

“I see.” Fritz considered what Michel had said, and the implications which had not been outrightly stated. “It is not the action, but the action’s name, which would cause offense?”

“Well, consent’s important too,” Michel said. “But in a nutshell, yeah.” His hand began its cyclical path again. “And it _is _kinda an intimate action, so you wouldn’t do it with a stranger.”

Fritz felt verself stiffen. Had Michel been courting vem without ver noticing? Had ve accidentally shown reciprocation? “You did not mention that this was intimate,” ve said cautiously.

Michel’s hand stopped again, and lifted away entirely. “Sorry, am I going too fast?” he asked. Fritz blinked. What had the speed of his motions to do with courtship? “I figured we were probably close enough friends that it’d be okay to ask.”

Fritz sat up, thinking carefully over what ve wanted to say. “Michel,” ve said. “You are a good crewmate, and I have enjoyed packbonding with you. However, I am not interested in mating with a human. I apologize if I have acted in a way which caused you to think otherwise.”

Michel’s face became immediately red. “I don’t want to mate with you either!” he said quickly.

“But you said that fur-stroking is an intimate action.”

“Not that kind of intimate!” Michel put his hands to his face. “I mean, it could be, but I meant platonically intimate. The sort of thing you’d only do with people you’re close to.”

“It is physical contact,” Fritz pointed out. “You would have to be in close proximity.”

Michel, hands still pressed against the lower half of his face, blinked at vem. Then he chuckled and dropped his hands. “Sorry, idiom. People with whom you have formed a strong packbond. It doesn’t have to be romantic. Sure, if my future husband runs his fingers through my hair, we’ll probably interpret it romantically, but when my sister or a friend does it, it’s purely platonic.”

“I see.” Fritz unstiffened, considering Michel’s words. “You stroking my fur was not part of any sort of courtship?”

“No, not at all.”

“It was because you have formed a strong packbond with me?”

“Yes. Or at least, that’s why I was comfortable asking you to let me do it.”

Fritz blinked slowly. Then ve lay down again on Michel’s lap. “In that case, you may continue,” ve said. “It was unexpectedly pleasant.”

A few moments later, Michel put his hand on Fritz’s back again, resuming his stroking. “Thank you,” he said softly.

Fritz hummed pleasantly. “You are welcome.”


End file.
